No one expects falling into temptation and seeking revenge. The noun “temptation” is not only overly loving someone who you shouldn’t but the desire to taste revenge, to ignore one’s moral code for an expected feeling of satisfaction. The show
“Temptation” is exploring the destruction in the wake of taking the darker path.
Despite enjoying satisfaction, Hong-joo is suffering for her revenge that makes Seok-hoon and Se-young suffered. She doubts Min-woo’s fidelity, gets picked on by her mother-in-law, and struggles to assume the position of “step-mother” to Min-woo’s and Ji-seon’s children. On top of that she is constantly worried, angry, and hurt. She sacrifices herself as she falls for revenge’s temptation and the hope of resolution. She’s a classic example of bad revenge – it only hurts everyone involved
Although her character is annoying, her action is understandable, especially after she reveals why she left Seok-hoon and stayed with Min-woo after their betrayals: she thinks Seok-hoon’s heart left her, while Min-woo’s stayed. In this emotional mess, a bit of logic was sorely needed.
Min-woo, on the other hand, is puzzling. He loves Hong-joo, but doesn’t understand that cheating on a spouse involves more than just the physical. Meeting his ex-wife is constituted cheating and it hurts Hong-joo, but he doesn’t’ really see his wrongdoing. Although he transpires little change, he still has a nasty attitude in business and in dealing with his enemies, primarily Se-young and Seok-hoon. That attitude needs altering. Perhaps Hong-joo can find it in her to help him change, she would need to abandon her revenge first.
Seok-hoon is still kind-hearted and understands Hong-joo and why she’s hurting. It is that sympathy, and the love he once had for her (and may still have) that makes him concerned for her. He worries that Min-woo will only hurt Hong-joo more, which in turn hurts Se-young. It’s a tangled web of emotions. It always happens with cheating, which “Temptation” shows very well. The messy nature of cheating makes for wonderful plot fodder because it creates such complicated relationships and consequences. If only the show would address the reactions of the men and children better. They are underdeveloped and confusing. Focusing on faces that are constantly frowning does not reveal nearly as much as a clever line of dialogue. This shows does a lot of that, focusing on faces and rings while intense ballads play in the background. It needs more than mood to really work – it needs tighter writing.
Hong-gyu and Se-jin are a breath of fresh air with their cute relationship, although it’s only a matter of time before Hong-joo’s revenge and the emotionally entangled couples break it apart. It’s sad because the show has little of the much needed respite from the heavy angst. When this couple is broken, there will be none.
Written by: Raine from ‘Raine’s Dichotomy’
[HanCinema"s Drama Review] “Temptation” Episode 16
Min-woo"s ex-wife Ji-seon is also quite the character. She purposefully plants doubt in both Min-woo"s and Hong-joo"s minds in order to sever the.
Min-woo”s ex-wife Ji-seon is also quite the character. She purposefully plants doubt in both Min-woo”s and Hong-joo”s minds in order to sever the trust in their marriage – and she succeeds. Min-woo is too selfish to believe Hong-joo, and Min-woo”s track record with cheating makes Hong-joo suspect him. It”s so insidiously clever that I can”t help but admire the writing despite my detestation for such underhanded play. Amongst two such driven people with little to no moral boundaries Hong-joo doesn”t really stand a chance. She finally cracks, unable to stand the pressure of her new position, her cheating husband, the attacks from Ji-seon and Se-young, and the weight of her fury and pain driven revenge. We finally see the Hong-joo from the beginning: the innocent, sweet, mild-mannered woman who could not fathom such a thing as revenge. It is now she sees what we see, that revenge is harder on her that it is on anyone else. She turns to Seok-hoon, the most honest person in this entire mess, which makes this twisty pretzel of a story even twistier.
Se-young is hiding her illness, the token illness that must plague every self-respecting melodrama. It strikes while the metal is hot and the feud between the two couples is at its zenith. Se-young, too, is plagued with doubt, unsure of Seok-hoon”s loyalties. More than that, she is battling Min-woo and her pride in a vicious battle between their companies that can only end in disaster. At its core, this story is centers around damaged prides. If people would just admit fault and forgo pride, we wouldn”t have much of a story. Unfortunately, Se-young”s character is stuck in a business battle and doubting her love so her character doesn”t have a chance to continue the beautiful growth it enjoyed in the middle of the drama.
Sadly, Hong-gyu has followed is sister”s footsteps and is lying to Se-jin. He knows that they their siblings are at odds, but chooses not to tell her. It draws him into this mess when at first he kept himself so cleanly (albeit painfully) away from it. But such is lying, cheating, and deceit. It draws in the innocent and damages everyone it comes in contact with. The writers of
“Temptation” understand this well and use it to their advantage, especially when they create characters as spunky, fun, and loveable as Hong-gyu and Se-jin. They are the innocents who are damaged by the greed of others. Even though this isn”t a very happy drama and it hasn”t always been strong, when it excels, it does it amazingly. The web of relationships is knotted painfully and I don”t see any respite in its future.
Written by: Raine from “Raine”s Dichotomy”
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“Temptation” is directed by
Park Yeong-soo-I, written by
Han Ji-hoon and features
Choi Ji-woo,
kwon Sang-woo,
Park Ha-seon and
Lee Jeong-jin.
Post time 7-9-2014 11:42 AM
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Post time 8-9-2014 01:43 AM
